Oli secures A$2M government grant to establish maternal-monitoring device manufacturing
What's the deal? Oli, an Australian startup building a wireless wearable for maternal and fetal monitoring, has secured A$2M in non-dilutive funding from the Australian Government's Industry Growth Program (IGP). The grant will fund the establishment of manufacturing capabilities in Sydney, expected to begin later this year.
The IGP supports high-growth Australian businesses commercialising products in priority areas including medical science and advanced manufacturing.
Why now? The grant follows a A$1.3M NSW Medical Devices FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → grant awarded in April 2026 and a A$6.5M Series A3 round announced last month. Together, these bring Oli's total non-dilutive government funding past A$11.5M — a substantial war chest as it moves toward regulatory submission and commercial launch in both Australia and the US.
"The opportunity is significant, with Oli projected to benefit more than nine million patients across Australia and the United States alone," said chief executive officer Tara Croft. "It's incredibly encouraging to see support for innovation in an area where earlier visibility and intervention can have a profound impact on women, babies and families."
What could go wrong? Regulatory clearance remains a hurdle. Medical devices face lengthy approval processes in both Australia and the US, and any delays could push back Oli's commercial timeline. Manufacturing scale-up also carries execution risk — standing up a new production facility while simultaneously pursuing approvals demands tight coordination.
The signal: Government-backed grants are playing an increasingly important role in femtech and medtech commercialisation, letting startups build manufacturing capacity without diluting equity. Oli's trajectory — stacking non-dilutive capital on top of venture funding — reflects a broader pattern of governments channelling industrial policy toward healthcare hardware and domestic manufacturing. For maternal health specifically, the funding signals growing institutional recognition that pregnancy monitoring technology is overdue for modernisation.
Read more: Femtech Insider
